The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Most electrical plug-in type connectors include one or more electrically conductive pins that extend from a connector/plug housing or base, and are adapted to be received by a mating device or connector that includes electrical receptors to thereby form an electrical connection. For example, mobile phone charger devices, audio equipment, video equipment, computer equipment, various control systems, and virtually all other electrical devices include various external and/or internal electrical connectors utilized to make electrical connections. Also, generally all electrical appliances and fixtures include plugs, i.e., a plug-in connector, used to connect the appliances and fixtures to a wall outlet/receptacle.
Typically, pins for such plug-in connectors and plugs are single piece pins. That is, the pins are constructed as a single, unitary, monolithic structure fabricated of single or homogenous non-ferrous metal, e.g., copper, brass, nickel or stainless steel, that are highly resistive to oxidization and corrosion. However, the cost of non-ferrous metals, particularly copper, is constantly rising in the world market, having a significant impact on the cost of producing such pins.